Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez was one of the favorites to win the Indianapolis race. The Mexican driver had a good start to the race and was in a race-winning position for most of the contest. However, disaster struck when he came in for his final pit stop of the day, and a mistake by one of the mechanics cost him the win. Suarez’s crew first changed the left-side tires, but before they could move to the other side, the hose of the wheel gun got caught under the left front tire. The crew lost valuable time as they hastily sorted out the dilemma and somehow completed the pit stop.

Daniel Suarez came out ten seconds behind the leader but was fast enough to close the gap to five seconds in the end. The #99 driver finished in third place behind Chase Elliott, but thanks to the stage points rule, scored two more points than Elliott. The Hendrick Motorsports driver bagged 49 points, while the Trackhouse Racing star earned 51 points, though it should have been higher.

Hendrick Motorsports crew chief believes a pit stop disaster cost Daniel Suarez the Win at Indianapolis

People have had a lot to say about how the incident during the pit stop cost Daniel Suarez a famous race win at Indianapolis. One of them was former Hendrick Motorsports Crew Chief Steve Letarte. Letarte was a part of Rick Hendricks’ team from 1995 to 2014, after which he retired and took on a broadcasting role.

Letarte was asked if the frontrunners missed an opportunity to win the race on a recent episode of Motor Mouths. The former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief disagreed as he focused on what happened with Suarez. He said that the #99 car was running well throughout the race and looked set for a comfortable win, but an error from the pit crew cost them.

“Well, I think missed opportunity is a little rough for a couple of the front runners because they ran well and they definitely missed out on a chance, and for that reason, I’m gonna point out the #99 of Daniel Suarez. They sat on the pole, they had great pace, and early on, I thought he had the speed to overtake the #34. They did almost everything perfectly from this pit entry where Suarez gains on the #34, absolutely leapfrogs him, and takes control,” Steve said.

At this point, many thought that Suarez was going to end up winning at Indianapolis and cap off a flawless day for Trackhouse Racing. However, one of the most unfortunate pit stop incidents of the season followed and changed everything.

“The problem is on the important pit stop, the most important pit stop, the final pit stop. The hose gets stuck underneath the left front tyre, slowing them down dramatically. They go all the way to about ten seconds back. He closes the gap to five or six seconds which just proves that this car had the speed but this pit stop right here, Jeff, is one that the #99 team and Daniel Suarez, they’re gonna be thinking about all week long,” Letarte added.

Daniel Suarez was not the only one who was the victim of a poor pit stop in Indianapolis. The man who finished ahead of him, Chase Elliott, also had an opportunity to win his first race of the season, but he also missed the opportunity due to a slow pit stop.

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Chase Elliott blames the pit crew for coming in second at Indianapolis

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After the race, Chase Elliott was asked about the finish and his fight for first place with Michael McDowell. The former Cup Series champion was honest and said that he lost time on one of the pit stops, which arguably cost him a much-needed win.

“Yeah, I just lost too much ground under that pit cycle. Was trying to pace myself for the long haul, kinda had that green flag feel so… and I thought I did that, just needed a better job getting through the traffic,” Elliott said.

Elliott has made it clear over the past few weeks that points will not be enough for him to get through to the playoffs. He needs to win one of the remaining two races if he is to qualify for the last 16, and Indianapolis has presented him with a golden opportunity.

It is only a matter of time until the regular season concludes and the NASCAR Cup Series enters the exciting playoff stage. Will Chase Elliott be one of the drivers involved? What do you think?

Watch This Story: Chase Elliott Calls Out Hendrick Motorsports Revealing What Lost Him the Race